Carly is once again trying to pick the lock to the shackle attached to her ankle. It's incredibly difficult to do around her very pregnant belly. Just reaching her ankle causes her to shift and contort into weird angles. She feels like screaming because no matter what she does the damn lock won't open. Anytime Tony leaves, which has been frequent the last few days, she's been working on it, trying to get free. She has no idea what she'll do if she gets out of her chains, other than get as far as possible from her psychotic captor.
She fights an exhaustion that wants to pull her under, forcing herself to continue trying to escape though it feels as though she's wading through quicksand. Maybe it's the stress, or the restlessness with which she's been sleeping, but she feels like it takes every ounce of energy just to move. She talks to the baby to fight off her weariness, "When we get out of here, I'm getting your father to teach me how to pick locks. He totally knows how to do this, I'm sure. He would have figured out how to escape weeks ago. Sorry you're stuck with the parent not good at all this ninja assassin stuff. Your daddy rocks all the super spy skills, Mommy, not so much. Once we get out of here, though, Daddy can teach us both."
A tear drips down her cheek, landing on the shackle, and in a broken whisper, she tells the baby, "I'm so sorry Mommy got you into this. You have probably figured out by now that I'm a mess. I make so many mistakes, like all the time. The crazy guy was a mistake that is catching up to me. And if it was only me in danger, if I was the one taking the punishment, I… God, I'd deserve it. You know? I've hurt enough people that I've got it coming. But, you… my sweet little boy, you haven't done anything." She feels a sharp pain in her pelvis as she hears the crunching of Tony's tires returning. She quickly hides the fork, scooting back against the headboard as the door bangs open.
Tony comes in with a cheerful expression. He doesn't even look at her as he sets down his keys and takes off his jacket. When he finally looks at her, he pauses studying her. She is looking pale and tired, her eyelids are slightly drooping. He considers all this coldly, without even a hint of empathy. Then, he gives her an evil smirk.
"Things are finally going my way," Tony gloats. then with a mean glint in his eyes, he adds, "Your mother is up at GH. She had a stroke, and has been admitted to the hospital." Carly gasps and her face pales further at the news. Tony goes on as though he doesn't hear her. "That means my ex is distracted. It's the perfect time to get Lucas. See, I've come to some conclusions lately. I'm starting to see the similarities between you and my whore of an ex-wife." He towers over her, his face red with anger and his eyes crazed. His voice however is creepily quiet as he accuses, "Both of you think you can steal my children from me. Well, you are both mistaken if you think I'm going to sit down and take it. I won't let you steal my sons."
Carly has tears streaming down her face. In a weary, tearful voice, she pleads with him, "Please don't do this. Please don't do this to Lucas and this baby!"
He scoffs down at her, patronizing as he explains, "You are the one who did this. It all comes back to choices you made. You thought you could screw me over, take everything from me, and I would just roll over and take it." His eyes narrow in rage, and his words turn sharp as a knife, "But you pushed me past my limit, you took too much. Now… now I'm taking it all back, and you and your bitch of a mother can be the ones to suffer."
Carly is quietly sobbing, her breathing getting quick and shallow. He glares down at her, "Shut up. I don't want to hear your whining."
She tries to calm herself, but the anxiety and fear just continue to rise in her, making it impossible to breathe normally. As much as she tries to remember Jason's instructions to take deep breaths and count to ten, her panic attack is fully in control. Annoyed by the sound, Tony growls , "I said shut the fuck up." Then, he backhands her and her world goes dark.
She's suddenly at Jake's, up in Jason's room. She lets herself feel the comfort this place brings her. The sights, the smells, the energy in this room make her feel safe and happy. She goes and lies on Jason's side of the bed, burying her face in the dent where he rests his head and breathes in his scent. For just a moment, the fear and stress disappear as a remembered peace fills her. It creates a painful longing for her husband that overwhelms her. She wants nothing more than to be safe in his arms right now.
She doesn't know how long she stays curled up, allowing her spirit the rest it needs, but she feels Jason the moment he appears. Her eyes lift and lock with his. She watches a frown appear on his face as he looks her over. He moves closer, gently running his hands over her form. He starts at her calves, his hands both comforting and assessing, and by the time he reaches her cheek, she has tears flowing down her face.
"Jase, I was just wishing for you," she whispers weakly.
His voice is anguished as he concludes, "You don't look good. You look like you're sick. Tell me what's going on."
She wearily answers, "I'm so tired, Jase. I'm trying hard to be strong for you and our son, but I don't think I can."
Jason is urgent in his fear, pulling her up to rest against his chest, cuddling her close. "You can. You have to. Carly, I can't lose you. We're getting close." He pulls back, and cupping her cheeks, he professes, "He got in touch with Robin. They thought they were being sneaky, but we caught it. He's going to a drop off point soon to get the supplies she got for him, and we're going to follow him back to you."
She shakes her head, and grabs onto his wrists. Urgently, she warns him, "He's going to kidnap Lucas. He…" her eyes widen in horror, remembering, "Mama. He said she had a stroke. He said…"
He gently pets her hair, soothing her, "Shh, shh, shh. She's okay. She's at the hospital, Bobbie took her up there, and they were able to get her some medicine to reverse any damage. They are getting her regulated on some blood thinners, so she doesn't have any more clots. But, I swear she's okay."
She leans her head against his shoulder, nodding as the words sink in. He holds her as she sobs in relief, his hands sifting through her hair and his lips pressing kisses into her skin. When she calms, he pulls back and gently wipes the tears from her cheeks, "You have to hold on just a little longer. I'm so close to finding you."
Her hand cups his cheek, her thumb softly stroking as she promises, "I'll try." With emphasis, she cries, "I am trying, but it's so hard, Jase. It feels impossible."
"Hey, you are being so strong. I'm proud of you for how hard you're fighting for our son. You can do this, Carly." He praises her with his face set in a determined expression.
She leans forward to kiss him, simply pressing against him with soft pecking kisses. He wraps himself around her, using his body as a shield against the outside world. For long minutes, they stay curled together, dropping loving, comforting kisses against the other's lips and skin. The kisses never deepen, remaining butterfly soft as they land. Each kiss is a silent 'I love you', a profession of their devotion and determination to fight for the other.
When he kisses her forehead, Carly wraps her arms around Jason's waist in a tight hug. She demands, "Promise me you'll protect Lucas."
"I promise." He nuzzles into her, his lips grazing her earlobe, as he adds, "I won't let anything bad happen to him. Promise me you'll be careful."
She looks up in his eyes, and earnestly agrees, "I promise. I'm protecting our boy as much as I can."
"Protect you too," he demands as his hand gently brushes against the latest place Tony had hit her, the area red and swollen, just beginning to darken into a bruise.
"I promise," she whispers. A tear drips down her cheek and her lips quiver as she turns her face up to him. He presses his lips to hers one more time, and then he's gone. She hears an echo of his voice as though from far away as he promises, "I'm coming to get you."
"Hey, kid, look sharp," Luke demands with a hard slap on Jason's chest, startling him awake. Rubbing his hands over his eyes, he forces himself to focus. He sits up seeing a gold midsize sedan pulling into the abandoned parking lot. A couple hours earlier, Robin had dropped off three bags of supplies in the dumpster in the back of the lot. Jason had gotten a quick and furtive look in the big black garbage bags that had revealed a mixture of kid and baby clothes, food, and medicine.
When Tony gets out of the car, he strides straight to the dumpster, then begins pulling out the supplies. Sinking down so he won't be seen, Jason advises, "We stay back. Let him lead us straight to her."
"I know the plan. Hell, I helped devise the plan. I've got this." Luke grumbles.
"Carly says Tony is going for Lucas." Jason admits, his eyes remaining glued to the figure in the grey hoodie.
"Carly says, huh? Another dream rendezvous with my niece?" Luke asks with a quirked brow.
Jason gives a distracted nod, "Yeah." His eyes shoot to Carly's uncle. He has been a constant ally throughout the entire ordeal, rarely leaving his side. With only a little discomfort on his face, he admits, "It sounds crazy even to me. But…" he lifts his shoulder in a shrug.
"You get anything else useful from the exchange?" Luke asks, trusting the kid's instincts even if it does sound strange. Hell, love can make crazy shit happen. He's seen it firsthand with his angel.
Looking at the older man quickly before returning to watch Tony, he admits gravely, "She doesn't look good. She looks… pale, sick. It scares me."
"We've got him in our sights. Now we just have to follow him, and we'll find her. It's almost over." He reaches over and pats Jason on the arm in two quick comforting taps.
The enforcer lets out a breath and nods. Tony has loaded all three bags into the car, and takes a moment to cautiously look around once more. Erroneously satisfied he hasn't been seen, he starts the car and heads towards the brownstone. Luke waits for several long seconds before pulling out after him. They follow at a safe distance, making sure he doesn't spot them.
"What the hell is he doing?" Luke grumbles with a confused frown as they watch Tony parallel park and then break into an SUV three cars back. Three minutes later, one of Sonny's SUVs pulls onto the road coming from the opposite direction.
Both men flinch when they realize what Tony is about to do. As the SUV driven by the guard James nears the brownstone carrying Lucas and his babysitter, Tony lays on the gas thrusting the stolen vehicle forward. There is a loud grinding noise as the two cars collide head on. They watch helplessly as James is struck directly in his door, his head snapping painfully back before he slumps in his seat.
As Tony staggers out of the SUV, a trickle of blood dripping from his eyebrow, he heads for his son. Luke curses, "Shit, shit, shit. What do we do?"
"Stick to the game plan. We have to find Carly," Jason tells him with determination, his eyes fixed on Tony yanking open the back door. The babysitter must put up a fight because Tony suddenly points his gun at someone in the car. Luke looks like he's a second from jumping out of the vehicle, but he sits back as Tony leans in the car and pulls out a blonde haired little boy.
"I hope he feels the fucking grim reaper breathing down his miserable neck." Luke growls in rage, practically vibrating as he watches his crying nephew get dragged to the parked sedan. Heads begin to peek out of doors and windows at the commotion, causing Tony to pull his hoodie down over his face as he throws his son into the car.
The tires squeal as he shoots out of the parking spot. Luke waits a few seconds before navigating around the accident and pulling out behind him. As they follow the deranged man, Jason calls up Sonny, "We got him. I need you to send someone to Bobbie's place. Tony wrecked into the SUV to grab Lucas, and knocked out James. He needs medical attention. Then, I need you to send everyone to wherever we're headed. I'll text you the location when we get there."
"Done." Sonny agrees with no hesitation. "Be careful, brother, and go get your girl."
When Carly wakes up, Tony is gone. She lays completely still for a moment, listening for any activity. Then, realizing the cabin is empty, she moves gingerly, her face throbbing from the most recent blow, and her belly and pelvis feeling an aching pressure. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she pulls herself up and grabs the fork to continue trying to get free from her shackles. As she works, she groans, "I promised your Daddy I would be strong. Maybe you can lend Mommy a little strength. Or luck… I really need a little luck. Oh, please, please, pl…" The lock clicks and the shackle falls open. She lets out a shriek of joy before practically yelling, "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh, God, thank you!"
Carly stands up, resting her hands under her belly. The freedom has given her a burst of energy. She looks down at herself for a moment, noting the thin nightgown and lack of shoes. She looks around the main room blankly before looking at the door to Tony's room. Rushing in, she scrambles to the dresser, pulling open drawers and pulling out clothes as she finds them. First, she grabs a thick pair of socks, then a black hoodie, and finally a pair of sweatpants with a drawstring. Throwing the clothes on over the nightgown, she's soon covered by the baggy garments. Then, looking in the bottom of the closet at the pile of shoes, she's disappointed that the shoes she wore when she was taken aren't among them. However, she finds a pair of men's work boots, and after she stuffs a couple pairs of socks in the toes, they fit on her feet reasonably well.
Hurrying, in case Tony is close, she rushes out the door. She pauses for a second to assess the lay of the land. The house is entirely surrounded by woods, with just the slightest parting for the gravel drive. Having been cooped up in the cabin for so long, the sun is blinding in its brilliance even through the canopy of trees. She would guess it's about three or four in the afternoon based on the position of the sun.
Moving in the opposite direction of the driveway, she makes her way through the trees and bushes, wanting to get as far away from the cabin as possible. She has made it a couple hundred yards from the house when a sharp pain knifes through her belly. She staggers and has to brace herself against a tree, taking deep, gasping breaths.
"Please… no," she whispers. "Please, not now. Oh, God, please help me."
After a long moment, the pain eases enough that she can begin moving again. This time she only makes it four or five feet before a wave of pain brings her to her knees. She almost collapses entirely, but manages to stay on her hands and knees. If she falls down, she's certain she won't be able to get back up. She looks around and then crawls forward to a gathering of bushes that provide some cover. She falls to her side as it feels like she's hit by stronger and stronger blasts of agony. Her hand reaches down to protectively hold her belly, only to pull back at a feeling of wetness. Her eyes glaze over at the sight of blood covering her hand. Barely making a sound, she moans, "No. Please God, protect my baby. Please… save… him."
With her last conscious thought, she sends a plea to Jason, "Hurry. We need you."
Jason taps Luke as they get close to where the car has stopped, "Let me out here."
Stopping the vehicle, Jason jumps out and makes his way into the woods, coming at the cabin from a different angle. He moves silently, his gun leading him forward, creeping up to the house from the back. As he flattens himself against the building, the front door slams open, and Tony stomps out, bellowing, "Carly! You can't have gotten far! I'm going to find you, and I'll make you regret running!"
Jason stops, and his eyes scan the area looking for Carly. He doesn't see her, so she must be hiding. His focus is drawn back to Tony as Luke drives up. He slams the vehicle in park, and gets out yelling, "You are the only one here who's going to be regretting their actions, Tony."
Tony jumps, turning towards the sound of Luke's voice to find his former brother-in-law pointing a gun straight at him. Tony rushes back inside, closing the door with a slam. Jason sneaks up on the side of the house while he's distracted, going over to a window and sneaking a peek to see Tony holding Lucas to him, with a gun pointed towards the door. He clenches his jaw as he takes another look in the cabin. He sees an empty bed with a chain attached to the bottom, but Carly is missing.
He feels a storm of fear ripping through him. He has to find her, he knows deep inside that she needs his help. But first, he has to neutralize the threat. Forcing himself to focus is the hardest thing he's ever had to do. His feet shift as though his body is trying to disobey his mind. The words out of Tony's mouth freeze him entirely, as the cornered man yells, "I'm not letting you steal my children from me! You can't take a man's children away without a fight. That worthless tramp and your bitch of a sister deserve it for trying to…"
Lucas is looking freaked out and terrified, with tears streaming down his face. Tony grabs onto him more firmly as the little boy begins fighting to get away from his dad, yanking at his arm and leaning away from him. He cries out in fear, "Daddy, what's going on? Why are you talking to Uncle Luke like that?"
The little boy flinches at his father's grip on his arm as Tony gives him a shake, "Stop it, son. Stop fighting me!"
The sound of additional vehicles pulling up draws Tony's attention to the front of the house. Mac's voice suddenly cuts through on a loudspeaker, "Dr. Jones, this is the police. Come out with your hands up. You don't want your son to get hurt. Please Tony, think of Lucas."
Jason watches as Tony screams out, "No!" His eyes look around wildly, failing to find a way out. With resolve and resignation on his face, he looks down desperately at his son and then at the gun in his hand. He sees the moment the man makes an awful decision, his gun moving towards his son. Jason takes a step back, aims his gun at the window away from Tony and Lucas, and shoots, shattering the glass. As Tony begins to swing around, Jason aims at him through the suddenly empty space. He feels the impact of the gun firing shoot up his arm, and then less than a second later he watches as the man who took his wife is thrown back by the impact of the bullet, a round circle in the center of his forehead.
Jason yells out, "He's down." Then, he turns back to the woods and takes off running, vaguely aware of Luke bursting into the cabin to grab a traumatized, sobbing Lucas.
Though he has no idea where he's going, his direction is not random. He feels as though there's an invisible string from Carly to him that's pulling him forward. His heart clenches as he begins to see drops of blood dotting the snow on the ground that get bigger and more prominent the further he goes.
When he finally stumbles upon her lying curled up under some bushes, he lets out a roar like a wounded animal. She is deathly pale, and is lying in a puddle of her own blood. The sweatpants she's wearing are soaked and a dark red.
For a moment, he's scared he's too late, that she's gone, and it hits him harder than the bullet that tore through Tony's skull. He takes a deep breath, oxygen flooding back into his lungs when he sees the rise and fall of her chest.
He staggers to his feet, lifting her in his arms with inexplicable strength, and then he's running back to the cabin. He's met halfway by Johnny and two uniformed officers. Taking in the pregnant woman's condition, a young female officer yells out, "We need a medic. Mrs. Morgan needs medical attention now!"
Suddenly, a lot more bodies are swarming around him. All of the people are silent as they watch the tortured expression on the man most consider stone cold. He looks anything but unfeeling as he carries his wife's blood soaked body to where two paramedics guide him to a rig. Jason gently sets Carly down on a gurney, his hands shifting over her as though trying to get her comfortable. The paramedics have to gently move him to the side while they work on her.
Jason refuses to let go of her hand as they move efficiently around his wife. Any attempt the paramedics make to get him to let go of her result in a look so violent they both feel their knees wobble. They wisely choose not to get in a fight with the clearly emotional hitman, instead getting an IV going with fluids and connecting her to sensors, including one around her belly.
The rig is suddenly filled with two sets of mismatched, high-pitched beeps as they monitor Carly and the baby's heartbeats. Jason Quartermaine's knowledge tells him that both are too slow, and he's gripped by the knowledge that he is losing them both. Though he's holding onto her, his love and his child are slipping away. He leans forward, speaking directly into his wife's ear, his voice full of love and fear, "Carly…" He can't go on for a moment, his voice not able to push through the emotion. With a big swallow, he praises her, "You did such a good job getting away from him. He's dead now, he can't get to you anymore. He will never… never touch you again. You led me to him, and you led me straight to you." He leans his forehead down, resting it against hers, "I love you so much! I'm so proud of you! You have to keep fighting for me because I…" his voice breaks, and tears fall from his eyes, "I can't live without you. Please don't make me. You have to stay here with me. Please, I love you. Don't leave me."
Suddenly, Luke jumps in beside them, with Lucas in his arms. The paramedic scolds him, "We don't have room in this…"
Luke waves his hand at her dismissively, "Don't get your panties in a bunch, darlin'. I just need to tell my nephew something, and then I'll drive behind you."
He looks at Jason, who's so focused on his niece, he's not sure the younger man knows anyone else is here. Then, his eyes fall on his niece. The paramedics have removed the layer of bloody men's clothes in an effort to get better access to their patient. Her belly and thighs are covered in blood, and she has bruises all over her. The dark red blood contrasts boldly with her pale, ashen skin.
He has to brace his hand against the side of the ambulance as he feels a fury so fierce fill him, he wants to go revive the corpse and kill the bastard again, then set the son of a bitch on fire just to watch him burn. Lucas cuddles closer into his uncle's shoulder, his eyes glued to his sister. The boy's movements snap him out of his fog.
Luke puts a hand on Jason's arm, getting a sideways look from him, "The cops are going to want to ask questions. I convinced them to wait until you get to the hospital, but you need to get Justus up there. I let Sonny and Barbara Jean know. They'll meet you up there, and we'll be right behind you." When all he gets is a short nod, he adds, "That girl's made of steel. Don't count out a Spencer." A tear drips down Jason's face as he leans forward, almost doubled over.
"Sir, we need to leave." The paramedic tells him a bit more sympathetically. She can see the pain and fear in the eyes of both men, as well as the heartbreaking trauma painted all over the little boy's face.
Luke looks at her, and demands in a growl, "You take care of her, you hear?!"
Then, he's standing on the gravel road with Lucas clinging to his neck, watching the ambulance drive away, disappearing into the trees. The little boy asks with teary eyes, "Will my sister be okay?"
Luke wipes his eyes as he reassures his nephew with a less than steady voice, "Of course, kid. Nobody can take down someone that strong."